Twenty-five schoolgirls have been abducted from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, during a night-time attack carried out by suspected bandits, police and government officials have confirmed.
The gunmen stormed the school in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area late on Sunday, killing the Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, before seizing the students.
Sources said Makuku was shot while attempting to shield his students from the armed men. Residents have been offering prayers for his soul, asking Allah to grant him mercy and to comfort his family over what they described as a painful and unjust killing.
Kebbi State police spokesperson CSP Nafiu Abubakar said 25 students were taken during the raid. The Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Ahmed Idris, added that Deputy Governor Senator Umar Tafida had been directed to visit the school to assess the situation on behalf of Governor Nasir Idris, who is currently out of the state.
Security forces have not yet announced any rescue operation, and the incident has heightened concerns over the ongoing wave of school abductions in northern Nigeria.